A honeycomb structure is commonly used to form abradable seals such as between jet engine components including stators and blades. The honeycomb structure which is commonly composed of metals such as HASTELLOY™-X is typically formed with ribbon which is attached to the component with a braze generally comprised of metals such as nickel, chrome, and others, and various combinations thereof. During operation, the blades cut into the honeycomb, causing the honeycomb to form a seal around the blade tips (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,218,066, U.S. Pat. No. 4,409,054, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,433,845). Upon rework of the engine and the various components thereof, the honeycomb and braze are removed.
Conventionally, honeycomb removal has been accomplished via machining and grinding techniques, chemical immersion, and de-brazing with heat. These techniques which are mundane, manual, labor intensive, tedious processes, commonly result in irreparable component damage. For example, due to heat and other operating stresses, rework stators are typically not perfectly round. Machining and grinding techniques which fail to account for the irregular shape of the stators, often remove part of the metal forming the stator, rendering it unacceptable for further use in an engine.
What is needed in the art is an automated, efficient honeycomb removal process which does not damage the substrate.